Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Presents THE INVISIBLE HAND, 3/7-25

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) concludes its 2011–2012 Studio Theatre series with The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar. This timely and intriguing production will be performed in the Emerson Studio Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, March 7-25, 2012.

Curtain times are Tuesday at 7 pm; Wednesday–Friday at 8 pm; Saturday evenings at 5 pm; selected Saturday nights at 9 pm; Sunday matinees at 2 pm and Sunday evenings at 7 pm.

Tickets are now available for purchase. Ticket prices are $37.50 (previews), $45 (weeknights, Saturdays at 9 p.m. and Sundays) and $58 (Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 5 p.m.). To purchase, visit The Rep Box Office, located inside the Loretto-Hilton Center, charge by phone by calling (314) 968-4925, or visit The Rep's Online Box Office at http://www.repstl.org.

In remote Pakistan, Nick Bright awaits his fate. A highly successful player at a major investment bank, Nick is kidnapped by an Islamic militant group, but with no one negotiating for his release, the prisoner must take matters into his own hands. Full of questionable alliances and moral bargaining, this world premiere is a chilling examination of how far we will go to survive and the consequences of the choices we make.

The Rep's production of The Invisible Hand is the world premiere and marks the beginning of Ignite! The Rep's New Play Festival. This inaugural festival will include commissions of nationally recognized playwrights, culminating with three public readings of Stagger Lee, Gidion's Knot and Bicycle Girl. For more information on Ignite! or to purchase tickets to the readings, visit The Rep's website at http://www.repstl.org/ignite.

Playwright Ayad Akhtar earned a degree in theater from Brown University and, after graduating, moved to Tuscany to work with world-renowned acting theorist and pioneer, Jerzy Grotowski (Towards a Poor Theatre). Ayad has been a New York City resident since 1999 where he has taught acting on his own and alongside Andre Gregory (My Dinner with Andre, Vanya on 42nd Street).

An alumnus of the graduate film program at Columbia University, Ayad earned a degree in directing. While at Columbia, he won the New York Documentary Center's Young Documentary Filmmakers' Award, an IFP Audience Choice Award and the Programming Committee's Award for Best Film at the 2003 Columbia University Film Festival. Ayad is the author of numerous screenplays. He co-wrote and played the lead role in The War Within, which premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival. It was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award (Best Screenplay) and an International Press Academy Satellite Award (Best Picture–Drama) and released internationally.

His latest stage plays are Disgraced and The Invisible Hand. Disgraced premiered at American Theater Company in Chicago in January. American Dervish, his first novel, was published by Little, Brown and Co in January, and has garnered critical acclaim.

The cast of The Invisible Hand is Ahmed Hassan as Dar, John Hickok as Nick, Bhavesh Patel as Bashir (The History Boys) and Michael James Reed as James and the guard (A Steady Rain) in this fascinating new play.

The Rep's production of The Invisible Hand is directed by Rep Associate Artistic Director Seth Gordon.

The creative staff also includes Scott Neale, set designer; Lou Bird, costume designer; Ann Wrightson, lighting designer; Rusty Wandall, sound designer; and Champe Leary, stage manager.

For more information about The Rep's production of The Invisible Hand, including a guide introducing the characters, plot and background on the play; photos related to the production; and more, visit The Rep's comprehensive public website at http://www.repstl.org.

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